★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Grilled chicken margherita is a summery dinner idea that combines the smoky goodness of grilled chicken with the fresh flavors of a classic margherita pizza.
This chicken goes well with pasta tossed in store-bought or homemade pesto sauce or you can enjoy it on a bun as a sandwich. It's great sliced over a salad or try it between two pieces of garlic bread!
The Ultimate Summer Sandwich
This margherita-style grilled chicken is the perfect recipe for warm summer nights that can be dressed up for guests or enjoyed on the patio casually. Loaded with fresh ingredients and plenty of flavor, it’s a chicken recipe you’ll keep coming back to.
Simple yet Flavorful
With a perfectly balanced smoky but fresh flavor, this grilled margherita chicken is infused with flavor from a garlic-oregano marinade. The chicken is grilled to perfection so it's juicy and tender (just make sure you use that meat thermometer!). Pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil adds the perfect pop of flavor.
Each bite of chicken comes with a smoky flavor, gooey melted cheese, and fresh bursts of pesto and tomatoes. Though there are a few steps involved, this margherita chicken recipe comes together easily and is very versatile as far as how you serve it — as a sandwich or with sides.
This Magherita Chicken is:
Fresh: The perfect flavor pairing for warm days this chicken dinner is loaded with fresh ingredients and bright bursts of flavor.
Healthy: Lots of chicken, herbs, and vegetables are what bring this dinner together. It uses simple ingredients and packs a punch of protein.
Delicious as leftovers: The leftover chicken can be enjoyed again as-is or used on top of something like a salad or wrap for a quick lunch.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
This recipe is quite simple! You can make your own pesto or save time and use store bought.
Here's at look at everything you'll need:
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work well here. I like to use cutlets for thinner pieces of meat that grill more quickly and evenly. If you are starting with thicker breasts, consider slicing them in half lengthwise to thin them out. You can also use a meat tenderizer to flatten them to a consistent thickness. It takes extra time, but this really ensures tender meat that's evenly cooked.
- Seasonings: From your spice cupboard you’ll need salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. You’ll also need some olive oil for it all to come together.
- Mozzarella cheese: Opt for sliced mozzarella as it’s easier and keep in mind that other cheeses like provolone, feta or gruyere can work as well. Experiment and see what you like best, or go with what you have on hand.
- Basil pesto: You can use homemade pesto if you have some on hand or whichever your favorite brand is from the store. Try my spinach-basil pesto sauce recipe.
- Fresh ingredients: You need cherry or grape tomatoes and chopped basil to garnish the grilled chicken.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This chicken is simple to prep in a few steps:
- Slice and tenderize chicken.
- Marinate chicken.
- Grill chicken.
- Top each breast with mozzarella slice and let melt.
- Spread pesto onto each piece of chicken.
- Top with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil to serve.
Simple!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
If you like spice, top the chicken with some red pepper flakes.
Additional toppings: Try adding artichokes, black olives, roasted garlic (powder or paste), flaky sea salt, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and/or dollops of ricotta cheese.
Before you preheat your grill, oil the grill grates before you place the chicken on. To do this, use a paper towel dipped in oil and run it over the grates with tongs or spray generously with non-stick cooking spray.
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of your chicken. You want it to reach 165ºF to be safe for consumption.
Be sure that the chicken does not overcook past this temperature or the chicken can quickly dry out. Likewise, letting it sit a few minutes before serving makes it so that all the flavors settle, and the juices disperse, helps too.
Yes. Ideally you'll want to thaw the chicken before cooking. If you need to thaw chicken quickly, place it in a sealed bag in room temperature water bath until softened. If grilling frozen, add extra cook time and check the temperature to ensure it's cooked through.
Let it cool fully before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Though the chicken itself will freeze well, the toppings should be scraped off as they won’t freeze and thaw with a great texture.
★ More Grilled Chicken Recipes ★
Want more tasty chicken dinner ideas?
Browse all my easy chicken recipes. Pin your favorites for later!
Grilled Margherita Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets or 2 chicken breasts, sliced
Marinade
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon garlic paste or powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Toppings
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup pesto sauce
- ⅓ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup chopped basil leaves
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Instructions
- Marinate chicken. In a bowl, combine olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Coat each chicken cutlet thoroughly with the marinade. Cover and allow chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
- Cook chicken. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken to grill and cook each side for about 6-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.Add cheese. During the last minute of grilling, place a slice of mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast. Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt.Once chicken is cooked and cheese melted, transfer chicken to a serving platter.
- Add toppings. Spread a generous dollop of basil pesto over each grilled chicken breast. Scatter halved cherry tomatoes on top. Garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
- For blistered tomatoes: try tossing the tomatoes in a little bit of olive oil and adding them to the grill for a couple minutes.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed after cooking.
- Pound chicken flat before marinating to help tenderize it flatten out thick parts so it cooks more evenly.
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